Eagles cut Pinkston and Detmer, resign Feeley

The Eagles made a flurry of moves on Wednesday, waiving wide receiver Todd Pinkston and quarterback Koy Detmer, and agreeing to terms on a two-year contract with quarterback A.J. Feeley.

The roster now sits at 73 players, pending Feeley signing his deal.

Feeley was waived by the San Diego Chargers two days ago, and the young quarterback has had a turbulent time since the Eagles dealt him to Miami for a second-round draft pick -- which turned out to be wide receiver Reggie Brown -- prior to the 2004 season.

"I'm starting fresh again," Feeley said via a conference call. "I'm familiar with the offense and the guys around here, so it should make things easier. There are other teams, but the West Coast offense is what I know best, it's the system I know best, and this is where I want to be."

Feeley played 11 games in Miami, starting eight, and he completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 1,893 yards, 11 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Feeley was then traded the following October by Miami, along with a late-round draft pick, to San Diego for quarterback Cleo Lemon. Feeley did not take a snap with the Chargers last year.

"There are a ton of elements as to why things didn't work out, but the bottom line is they didn't," Feeley said. "I'm not trying to dwell on that stuff; I'm trying to learn from it. I just have to get back on the field and make my game stronger.

"Right now, I need to get back in the groove, back to what I need to do to be successful and the things that got me there."

A fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2001, Feeley started five games in 2002 and led the Eagles to a 4-1 record down the stretch to help the Eagles clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

With Donovan McNabb recovering from a broken leg, and with Detmer sidelined with an elbow injury, Feeley completed 86 of 154 passes for 1,011 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

Feeley did not take a snap the following season, 2003, as McNabb returned to full health and played 16 games.

Feeley was then traded to Miami on April 3, 2004.

Detmer, a seventh-round draft pick by the Eagles in 1997, played nine seasons with the Eagles and completed 152 of 298 passes for 1,706 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

"I've lockered next to Koy for my entire career; I've spent a lot of time with him in meetings and on the field together," said McNabb. "He is a real student of the game and I've learned a lot from him. It's a tough loss for the team, for our locker room and as a friend."

Detmer was the primary holder for placekicker David Akers until this summer, when punter Dirk Johnson ramped up his work with the All-Pro kicker and the pair worked very well together.

Pinkston was a second-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2000 and caught 184 passes fro 2,816 yards and 14 touchdowns. He tore his Achilles tendon prior to the 2005 season. He became expendable when the Eagles acquired Donte' Stallworth from New Orleans on Monday afternoon.

"Todd is a guy that I really enjoyed playing with," said McNabb. "He was here for six years and we had a lot of success together. I'm going to miss having him here."

Said head coach Andy Reid in a statement: "Todd has had seven great years here for the Philadelphia Eagles. "There is no one that I have respected more than Todd, who has helped us win a lot of football games. We have decided to give him an opportunity to move on to another team where there was still time for him to latch on as a starter. I know he is anxious to find another situation and step in and contribute immediately.

"Koy gave 10 great years to the Eagles organization. He handled himself as a true professional on and off the field. He has been a great teammate. We wish he and his family all the best in the future."

Re: Eagles cut Pinkston and Detmer, resign Feeley

I almost feel sorry for McNabb...he is a good to great quarterback that has never had any stable receivers to throw to. Yes, I know that TO was there and he is a good receiver (if you listen to ESPN, you would be convinced that he is the best receiver ever) but I said stable, and TO is not mentally stable. He has had guys like Fred-EX, TO and Pinkston. If he could get a good set of receivers who could catch the ball and play on a regular basis, he could be one of the great QB's of all time, and the Eagles could be one scary team. But that will never happen because...they're the Eagles...